Even in the winter when the ospreys are not with us, it’s impossible to forget about them! We are keeping tabs on 30(05) who, this year like all the others, sits on her favourite perch on the beach in Senegal all through the winter. She leaves her spot to hunt twice a day, then settles back down to relax her winter away. What a life!

30 on her beach (Photo John Wright)

It’s only the end of October, but we are already looking forward to the return of Maya and 33(11) to Manton Bay! This nest is currently the only active nest that is actually on the nature reserve, and is consequently the only one in the area that is viewable by the public. As such, Manton Bay is special as we get very attached to the individuals, and are privy to a wealth of information about their lives. We are incredibly happy to have six other nests in the area that also have osprey pairs successfully raising chicks, some for years, others that are more recent. We hope that next year we have several more ospreys pairing up and breeding. There is a lot of potential for more nests in Rutland, and we are excited to see how many pairs can be sustained in this area.

We’re also excited about the prospect of ospreys spreading further afield, away from the epicentre of their recurrence. Nest platforms are being placed and monitored in several suitable locations, and we are monitoring them each season.

The Manton Bay ospreys are, of course, the stars of the show. 33 took over from 5R in 2014, and Maya has been breeding in the bay since 2010. There are a couple of ways in which the name Maya can be pronounced – some think Mi-ah, others May-ah. We pronounce ours as Mi-ah. More information about her can be found by clicking here.

To date, Maya and 33 have produced six offspring – S1, S2 and S3 in 2015, and T6, T7 and T8 in 2016. We are hopeful that this pair will return and breed again in 2017, and many years thereafter!

33, Maya and their 2016 brood

The 2017 season promises to be one of the best, what with the potential for more nesting ospreys, and the return of our favourites. Osprey cruises are a brilliant way of seeing Rutland’s ospreys out and about, and have been very successful over recent years. The dates for cruises in 2017 are already available! Click here for more information.

We have several other events planned for next season too, such as a bird ringing demonstration and a dawn chorus walk at the Lyndon Nature Reserve. Click here for more details!